How Do We Get The Younger Generation Interested In Voting?

[anywebsite]

I agree voting should be made compulsory but there should be the option to vote for 'none of the above' and it should be made clear to voters that making that selection is a protest vote that carries far more weight and much less ambiguity than just not voting.

 

Until we have such option I would advocate not encouraging young people to vote as it appears that in the past a lot of young people rather misguidedly vote labour.

 

Unfortunately is seems to be impossible to educate people properly about voting and the consequences of their choices. Education about voting is certainly not something that should be left to teachers as the two main teaching unions appear to be encouraging their members to note labour, which is surprising given that they are expected to be intelligent people.

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I don't think it should be compulsory at all, but the 'None of the Above' option should definitely be included on the ballot & force another by election if it wins a seat.

 

There's a party called 'Above and Beyond' with this policy, confusing name because they're not allowed to be called 'None of the Above'. I'm not sure how many seats they're standing in.

[Harrystottle]

The young need houses, communities and jobs. They work harder for less money than their parents and are faced with the highest ever debts and housing costs.

 

The people responsible for this are the politicians of the UK, not the baby boomer generation.

[Detetcive]

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Edited March 1, 2015 by Detetcive

[Frederick1]

I think the current system is not fit for purpose. It was designed for toffs and still has the most ridiculous myriad of anachronisms and traditions that we could well do without if we want a parliament for the 21st Century. I'm embarrassed when I compare it to other countries. Is it a tourist attraction or a place of work?

 

This is the age of the internet, the Information superhighway, instant communication and a rapidly changing techno age, and still our political system is mired in the 19th century of Victorian customs and set in a crumbling old building, a palace no less, also not fit for purpose. Just because it's all been done in the same way for years doesn't make it good, but rather the opposite. Keep it as an ancient tourist attraction by all means, but don't expect it to inspire youngsters.

 

Surely the way to engage young voters is to give it the whole system a radical overhaul it so desperately needs, with new, more efficient ways of doing things, and let them have a say in the design of that. I'd start with a competition to come up with new ways of doing things and a new building to do them in.

 

The old fogies will cough and splutter and protest, (they want to preserve their elitism after all,) so get rid of them, and let the younger ones have a go.

 

They couldn't do any worse.

 

Agree with all you say AnnaB - except the last sentence!!!

 

I'm 78, just part of over 4,000,000 pensioners. "so get rid of them"?? I'm not ready yet lol!!!

 

:)

 

---------- Post added 01-03-2015 at 10:25 ----------

 

I try to base my opinions on facts. Facts like 79% of pensioners have a personal or occupational pension.

 

They receive an average of £388/week. In fact pensioners income has risen to record levels. Pensioners on average earn 5% more than working house holds.

 

 

Sometimes the truth hurts.

 

Then, biotechpete, I am not part of that 79%! I have just state pension and it does not amount to £388.00 per week I can assure you. Having said that, I worked for 60 years and get enough to get by on with the help of the Winter Fuel Allowance - and NO benefits.

Really have to watch what I spend though, and fuel!

Edited March 2, 2015 by KTHFB
Amending quote tags

[Asaw]

Give then people to vote for that they can trust what they say.

Vote what there constituents want not with a party line.

Do away with parlimentaru parties.

The people they vote in should only do there work as an mp and nothing else.

not have a second job.

Be more responsive to constituents queeries.

stop saying how wonderful you as a party are and what they have done (time wasting)

Stop blaming what has gone before and get on and put it right.

stop asking other members of parliment to say how great your achirvements are each week and get on withit.

change venue out of london for parliment and how it is run.

Change to a loose association for trade with the eu and run our own immegration and our own laws and country

 

may be some more but that is off the top

[crookedspire]

To all the young people of the UK you must vote your own children's​ future is at stake your vote counts like the so called ' Grey's vote think hard and carefully we can and must change this country.

[Michael_W]

The Labour party would give the vote to 16 year olds ..... why ?

What does the average 16 year old know about politics, the world or life in general ?

The cynic in me suggests that Labour think that young people are daft enough to vote for them

Other than some indoctrinated views they may have been exposed to at school or at home of course

If politicians really feel the need to manoeuvre the system for votes, how about engaging more adults, there are so many people who don't bother, why ?

I would take a guess that many non voters other than the ill and infirm of course, are actually the unemployed and those to busy working. Sunday or weekend voting, even online voting coupled with some compulsory aspect would be a step in the right direction for a start.

I do find it quite bizarre that many socialist type posters try to justify old v young politics while at the same time preaching generally about being the need to be inclusive with their sub divisive nonsense around representation for minority groups, and they accuse others of divide and conquer tactics

[Mr Bloke]

Parties of all colours seem to target the so called 'grey vote' purely down to the fact that generation do vote. The problem with this is when that generation passes on and the next generation either rarely vote or don't vote at all the political system will face a crisis so how can we get the younger generation engaged in politics and voting?

Hmmm...

 

... we obviously need to get Simon Cowell involved in a new TV programme, 'Britain's Got Conned'.

 

Politicians from all corners of the world would be invited to come and take part in the 'Greatest Show on Earth' masquerading as a festival of 'British' rhetoric.

 

Candidates would be encouraged to melt our hearts by telling us their 'back-story' of what a hard life they've had after the banking collapse, and to embellish just how they intend to make the world a better place for us all so that our children don't suffer like they've suffered...

 

... all to an accompanying soundtrack of

(with stimulating light-show to keep the interest of the less musically appreciative).

 

Auditions would be limited to 3 minutes of manifesto sound bites (to cater for those with a short attention span) and voting would be solely by mobile phone app (to dissuade the 'greys' from spoiling the result).

 

Exit polls would be taken outside nightclubs at 3 o'clock in the morning.

 

You can vote for your favourite as many times as your minimum wage will allow, and Ant and Dec would operate a huge 'swingometer' erected outside Downing Street and specifically designed in the form of a phallic symbol to encourage multiple voting and to extract the last few pennies from the gullible voting youngsters.

 

At the end of the series, and regardless of the overall public voting result, Simon would then announce a hung parliament and use his golden buzzer to vote for his favourite money-making candidate to enter the corridors of power and a meeting with The Queen at Buckingham Palace...

 

 

 

... well it might just work!

[Anna B]

Proportional Representation (PR) would be a start.

 

At the moment too many people don't vote because they know it won't make a ha'porth of difference.

 

We now have a plethora of small parties dividing the vote anyway, so a party can get in power with approx. only a third of the vote, which leaves two thirds of the population unhappy.

 

PR would make every vote count, and be a real incentive to turn out for the election.

[Harrystottle]

Agree with PR but I can't see us ever getting it, unfortunately. Dead against 16 yar olds getting the vote though.

 

If young people don't want to vote I don't think that they should be stigmatised for it. If they don't like the choice on offer then it's their right to step away.